Survivor’s Shaun reveals staggering weight loss

SHAUN Hampson has revealed his staggering weight loss during Australian Survivor left him struggling to regulate his diet for up to two months.

The Brisbane-raised former AFL player, who was eliminated from the Channel 10 series on Sunday night after rival David Genat beat him to the immunity idol, said he lost 11kg during his 31 days in Fiji.

"It was about the skinniest I'd been since I was 18 or 19 years old," Hampson, 31, said. "The first look in the mirror afterwards I was like 'holy moly, who are you?'"

Shaun Hampson was eliminated from Australian Survivor on Sunday night after 31 days filming the show. Photo: Nigel Wright, Channel 10.

As the first member of the jury, he conceded the weight went on "embarrassingly fast" and he felt a constant need to eat.

"I'd been starving myself for so long that when you see food you just need to eat it all because you don't know when your next meal is," Hampson said.

"It actually took me a while to regulate it back into my normal diet. It took a month or two. I was back home and (fiance) Megan (Gale) was like 'you've got to slow down, what's going on'. It's really bizarre."

Hampson said he lost 11kg during filming, which was the lightest he’d been in 12 years. Photo: Nigel Wright, Channel 10.

Hampson said as a challenge threat he knew he was a "scapegoat" for the smart players and felt he needed to win the immunity challenge, which involved gasping for air through a set of bars on top of the water, to stay in the game.

It came down to him and Genat, his rival, who pipped him at the post.

"You can't hear much under there but I did hear Jonathan say "pretty boy", so I think I knew it was David," he said.

"It was a really horrible challenge. This one was mentally not only trying but disturbing as well, being in that position. I definitely wasn't comfortable."

"To dry off and go straight to fighting for your life, it was really emotional. I think I sort of just broke down at one stage before the bonfire and I think it was just all very overwhelming."

Hampson said the best part was returning home to partner Megan Gale and their kids River and Rosie.

Hampson said he'd spoken to Genat often since filming and their "grudge" on the show was "nothing personal".

Having missed the launch of Gale's business and his son River's 5th birthday, Hampson said he was thrilled to be the first member of the jury and therefore would have a say in the eventual winner.

But coming home to his family, including Gale, River and his daughter Rosie, 1, was the "best part".

"I saw my kids and was able to pick them up and hold them, that got me. That really got me. I'd missed them so much," he said.

"Rosie was just a little bit unsure about the beard I came back with … but after two days she was playing with quite a lot which was nice. It was so fantastic to get home and see everyone."